Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1887-03-19
A TERRIBLE HOTEL FIRE
Possible Loss Of Thirty Lives-ssyen
Persons Known to Dc Dead and Five
Dying - Seventeen Dangerously In
jurod

Dying - Seventeen Dangerously In
jured.
BUFFALO, N. T., Maroh 18 Another
|calamity has visited Buffalo. The
sp pleDdid new Richmond Hotel, ct the
corner of Main aud Eagle streets, was
totally destroy ed by FIRE early this
morning, together with st. James
Hall and other adjacent property. Tbs
most distressing part of the disaster IL
the loss OF several human lives. The
rapidity Of the fre, cutting off means
OF escape, led some persons to leap for
life through the windows. Others got
down the fire escapes or on Hay es lad
ders, raised by the fire department. The
shrieks and cries of the poor people In
the upper stories of the burning struct.
ure were heartreDding. One man, mad
With terror, leaped from third story
window, and was picked up from the
stone sidewalk on Main street man
gled and bleeding corpse. Several who
succeeded in making their escape we're
badly injured and burned, and some OF
these will probably die.
Terror overcame everybody, and even
those who sscaped in safety, were, In
many oases. prostrated by their awful
Experiences. There were 1875 persons In
the hotel, 70 Of whom we're transient
guests, boarders and the remainder
porters, bell boys, the families of the
prOprietors and clerks. Twenty two OF
these were rescued from the windows
by the fremen, 20 are ct the hospitals
and large number made their escape
by other means.
VIM. H. Alport, the night clerk, says:
k,l l. Al IL
1uder the main stAirway,at 8 50o'clock.
There Was nobody up but myself, Joe
the night porter and Plummer, the bell
alarms on the different floors, and the
people came flying down stairs in the !
night clothes. The IRE followed the
elevator, and inside Of FIVE minutes !,
reached the top floor. Irushsd ont OF
doore after doing oil could"
Bell boy Plummer tells his experience
aB follows:
81 was dugting The reading. room
when heard shout and saw the
flames coming mp the stairway from
the basement. Mr.. Alport and turned
ON the hose under the main stairway
we straightened the hose out and turned
the valve, but the water would not run
Then we gave the alarm: The watch
man apd got plank and broke in thu
i Eagle street entrance to the hotel. TheI
We got the plank under the fire escape or
Eagle street, and we helped people
ldown."
As the guests were reused and saw
the interior exits cut off they turned Il
the windows. They could be seen IL
their night clothes standing out cleal
laud'vivld before the lurid background
OF the flames. Their screams were hor
rible to hear, and they could be heart
; for blocks. The flames spread to thl
Ieoutheast side Of the hotel first. Thl
telegraph wires were MS usual in th'
(wAy OF the ladder brigade and mucl
valuable time was lost in getting tn
ladders past them.
. Perhaps the most thrilling escape o
ANY was that of Pres Whitaker, stop
son Of Proprietor Stafford. He roomf,
i in the ffth story, and when aroused
stepped 70 the window and looked dow
4 for few seconds. Then he deliberate
!. lly dressed bimself, and, emerging fror
the window, stood on the stone cappin
above the window beneath. From thi
: czpping he stepped to the next on
|. along the front the building and prt
ceeded in this manner to the Haye
;, truck ladder at the other extremity {
}. the front. The nerve and coolness di.
/. .Iplayed were remarkable.
III William j. Mann, one of the pre-
tprietofs OF the house, aud his wife, ha
= thrilling experiences in getting on
4 Mrs Mann was terribly burned abou
i. the head, arms and legs. Their littl
daughter, Jennie, was also badl
b burned. The last persons taken sliy
4 from the burning building we're two f
male servants, who were rescued frOI
this southern end of the fifth a d,or by Il
;. Ifremen.
I'll Alfred g. Clay, of Philadelphia, An
It Louis L. Smith, Of Brooklyn, were
% adjoining rooms on the fifth floor, an
both tell about the same story. The
! u reached the roof of Bunnell's Museu,
y and thus saved their lives. They bs
h barely reached Bunuell's Museum roon
when, on looking back, they saw fly
ittgirls In fifth story window. They ha
n tied the bed clothing into a rope, whiC
;; they hung out, but none Of them teemt
oi 10 have the courage to start. At la
lone of the Eve took hold and swur
,s down to . window ledge, from whit
=, she was assisted by Messrs. Clay Al
,: Smith. Three others came down in Il
- bnhC n1buaCAg 9bo tACh sbo AAeA ~
started down. She had gone but
J., ldown abe went four stories. Strange
At say she was not killed. Her legs we
" terribly cut and bruised, her bal
10 badly Injured, and her face and baC
were in . frlghtful condition fro
: burns. She lay moaning upon louui
I'll at tho Spencer House begging to
or sent homo.
o. Chief Hornung, of the Fire DepaI
ment, says: The number of people re
cued by the firemen is about 20 to
1--WE did all we could TO rescue then
I'VE got two streams into the corridor
4 the hotel and at that moment the fam
= were shooting up that big staircase ar
~ elevator way beyond the reach of Il
a those. We tried 10 play both streau
= upward on the FIRE, but there WAS
n. much screaming of guests and calls I
J. help from the windows that we call,
ra off most of the men from the hose al
~ let the building 90 for while, givil
all our attention to the ladders. "Dan
-, the building" yelled, ''save the pt
hIple," aud the boys helped man the Ia
90 ders on the outside, putting up two
e' the main street side and the short on
on Eagle street. There WAS need
ls them, too. 1t WAS Q horrible sight
" see the people Jumping from every sic
~ The cool headed ones were rescued
70, right, but some woIldn't wait"
d. Henry .. Rumssy was on the I
th story. He ran down one fight of sta
and started for Q reArwindow. Saei
Ch q little girl In the hallway he returne
got hsr ard jumped with her in
arms on 70 Runnell's Museum. 7
skin and the beard on his face We
I'D burned Od. snd he was severely burn
II, Iabout the body. He will probably d
II 10 undoubtedly fAct that at los
thirty persons perished. The total IL
by the FIRE will be $400, 600.